Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Spring 2003
4
and necessary for the learning ability of children.6
These benefits have been identified by short-term
studies (missing breakfast once) and long-term
studies (missing breakfast consistently).4
The results of a just-published American study,
Diet, Breakfast and Academic Performance in
Children, concluded that participation in
breakfast programs improved daily nutrient
intake and this improvement was associated with
significant increases in scholastic performance.12
Children at nutritional risk, that is, those who
received less than 50% of the recommended
dietary allowances (RDA) prior to the introduction
of a universal breakfast program, had significantly
poorer grades than children not at nutritional
risk. Improvements in math grades were seen in
the breakfast program participants but not in
those who remained at nutritional risk.12
In Canada , no formal assessment has been
conducted to indicate the food and nutritional
needs of students. Nevertheless, the National
Child Hunger Survey in 1997 reported that
Canadians believe that approximately 42% of
children are not having adequate breakfasts
before going to school.4,6,7 This is mirrored by
research from Toronto Public Health,
Scarborough Office, that found 7 to 10% of
elementary school students eat no breakfast and
40% eat an inadequate breakfast.5 NWT statistics
indicate 33% of children come to school hungry
and 29.6% skip breakfast or lunch.3 As well, the
NWT Youth in Transition Study of May 2002
reported that significant numbers of youth,
particularly Dene and Inuit, are often missing
two food groups from their diets, milk and milk
products and fruits and vegetables.13
What is a Healthy Breakfast?
Clearly, breakfast is the most important meal of
the day. A summary of school and community
nutrition programs completed by the Breakfast
For Learning group indicates that poor eating
habits are a growing concern across the country.5
There are three components to a healthy breakfast:
1. Foods are eaten from at least three of the four
food groups,
2. Foods are well balanced to sustain a child’s
energy throughout the morning, and
3. Foods offer at least 25% of the day’s calories
and essential nutrients.2
Nutrients of particular importance to scholastic
achievement and development are carbohydrates,
protein, iron and calcium.5 Carbohydrates, the
main fuel for the body, break down to glucose
that supplies energy to the brain. Diets deficient
in protein and iron are highly correlated with
poor intellectual development in children.7 Iron,
an essential nutrient in cognitive development
and learning ability, and calcium essential for the
development of healthy teeth and bones, when
missed at breakfast, are not readily obtained in
subsequent meals and snacks throughout the day.5
Eating breakfast satisfies hunger and helps to
maintain a steady blood sugar level. This is key
to remaining energetic and able to concentrate.
It is also a sign that one’s diet is good overall.5
Therefore, missing the morning meal is indicative
of a larger, unhealthy eating pattern.
Behavioural and Psychosocial Benefits
of School Nutrition Programs
A balanced breakfast offers many other benefits
to school-aged children and subsequently to
teachers, the classroom environment, and
the school.
• Teachers, parents and students state that,
with breakfast, there are fewer classroom
disruptions and discipline referrals, and
there is improved attendance and class
participation.4,6
• A 1996 evaluation of the British Columbia
School Meal Program concluded from
interviews with parents, teachers and
administrators that students who eat a
nutritious meal concentrate better, attend
school more regularly, are less aggressive,
and show improved behaviour overall.2
• Hungry children are more likely to have low
energy, be late or absent, be more apathetic,
disinterested, irritable or hyperactive, have
more trouble concentrating, and have lower
self-esteem or poorer social skills than
their peers.5
“When a child’s stomach
is empty, everything else
is secondary. Before
developing a thirst for
knowledge and a hunger
for learning, one must
satisfy the body’s thirst
and hunger. This is a
challenge faced by
our society.”
Romeo LeBlanc,
former Governor
General of Canada .
EPINORTH
5
• The American study, Diet, Breakfast and
Academic Performance in Children, found that
participation in a breakfast program improved
students’ psychosocial functioning and
attendance.8
• In the NWT, the Healthy Living School Project,
Phase III survey respondents indicated that
with food programs there was a 35% increase
in students’ ability to learn and concentrate
on their schoolwork and a 17.5% improvement
in overall school performance.3
Why do Children go to School Hungry?
There are two main barriers to children accessing
a meal before school starts:
1. Poverty. The increased incidence of child
poverty in Canada from 1989-1997 is a key factor
contributing to the development of school
feeding programs.5 One in five children still live
in poverty. From 1989 to 1997, the rate of
children living in poverty increased from 15% to
20%. That means that the number of poor
children in Canada increased from 936,000 to
1,397,000.6 Children living in poverty are
particularly vulnerable to arriving at school
hungry or undernourished.
2. Changing Lifestyles. There is also strong
evidence that Canadian children from all income
brackets go to school without having had a
morning meal.3,5 These days, many adult caregivers/
parents work outside the home. This gives
the family less time to prepare and share breakfast
together, or, if parents leave home before their
children do, to assure that a breakfast is eaten.5
Other reasons given for breakfast being skipped
are: extra-curricular activities before school,
norms created by parents and caregivers who do
not eat breakfast, long bus rides, no time in the
morning, not hungry before school, and desire to
lose weight.2
Social and Economic Costs and Benefits
Socio-economic status, education level, and
healthy child development are just three of the
twelve determinants of health that could be
addressed by giving more attention to the proper
growth and development of children in their
formative years. The costs in interventions that
would improve nutritional health would be
modest compared to health related costs
associated with poor nutrition or lack of learning
potential and future contributions to society.
In the NWT, timely direction on where to focus
efforts in improving school nutrition programs is
being given by the Healthy Living School Project,
Phase III.3 This project is a collaborative effort of
the Northern Nutrition Association and the
Canadian Public Health Association (Northwest
Territories/Nunavut Branch), and funded through
Health Canada and the NWT Department of
Health and Social Services. A total of 46 out of a
possible 52 schools, representing 32 communities
in the NWT, were surveyed on school nutrition
programs and food security. The top five
suggestions from survey respondents that could
form the basis for further development of schoolbased
nutrition programs in the NWT include:3
• offer parents nutrition education,
• increase funding to school nutrition
programs,
• teach children about nutrition,
• update curricula and resources, and
• involve the community in programs.
These responses indicate that the family and
community must create and maintain
worthwhile programs, that funding for nutrition
programs is an issue and that it is not enough to
simply feed children. Nutrition education backed
by strong curricula and appropriate resources are
also necessary.
Next Steps
Although it is the parent’s primary role and
responsibility to feed their child and be the
guardians of their healthy growth and
development, it is also apparent that lack of
money and time prevent many parents from
doing so. Our challenge is to help children in the
NWT going to school, or being at school, undernourished
and unable to learn. Many studies
have indicated that not only a child’s education
but also their social learning and interaction can
be greatly compromised when they have not had
a balanced meal to start the day.
Continued
http://www.hlthss.gov.nt.ca/content/Publications/Newsletters/epinorth.asp